OK...I am 6'3 and weight 207lbs. I am active in long distance running including races of various distances. I also run triathlons quite often.
Here is my question for you all...
How many of you find the calories burned through exercise a bit on the high side? I run in the area of 8 miles a day, sometimes more and sometimes less, but most weeks I log between 50 - 70 miles! I have also been swimming laps between 40 min. and an hour each day. On top of those two hours of daily exercise I have been biking every other day short though, only about 10 - 15 miles!
OK so my estimates are poping up that I am burning on average 2,000 calories a day with physical activity.
If that is the case and my BMR is already around 2,100 + 2,000 = 4,000 plus calories a day to maintain my weight!
I am thinking that anything between 195 - 205 is healthy but what do you guys think? Am I way off here? Also, I know that I am not consuming more then 3,500 calories a day so my metabolism may be a bit slower, that coupled with the time during exercise also being figured into the BMR...the calorie totals just still seem really high, and the burn estimate seems high as well...am I crazy?
I don't think you are too far off base here. Might be a tiny bit much like 200 or 300 but not that much. I'm 185 and I run/walk 8 miles a day, no real time frame to do it but always the same distance. In that time I burn like 1300 calories as reported by my ipod with nike+. But I think that might be a bit inflated but 100 to 200 calories. BUt not that far off.
So I don't think your 2000 calories above your BMR is that "wrong". my BMR is 2100 to maintain my weight at a sendentary setting but with my workout I add 1300 daily for a total of 3400 daily I burn.
Since you workout way more than me and prolly burn at the same rate as me cause you taller than me (I'm 5' 10") I can believe your 4000 is prolly as close to accurate as you can get.
SIDENOTE. I have considered continuing to eat 1700 calories a day but scaling back on my workout cause currently with my workout regimen I have lost 35 pounds in 2 1/2 month which I htink is too much.
The easiest way to tell is to adjust your intake to that level and see if you weight stays stable. If you start to gain, then it's too high for YOU, being the genetically unique individual that you are. You can adjust it down until you hit a point where you are stable. That should tell you how much offset there is from the average values posted on the web site.
I have to tell you that I'm 5'8" and female and I've seen the times when I had to consume 3-4K calories a day to maintain my weight.
Okay. I think part of the confusion is that your math is slightly off. If you're burning 2,000 calories a day from exercise, you can't simply add that to the 2,000 you burn doing nothing. That's because you're essentially logging some of your time twice.
So, in a normal, sedentary hour you burn about 85 calories. You can't count that 85 calories for the 2-3 hours you're exercising per day. Meaning the calories you're burning is roughly 200-300 calories less than the 4,000 your math would indicate. Meaning that your 3500 calorie a day diet is roughly maintenance.
Is this what you mean by "the time during exercise also being figured into the BMR"? One way to avoid this problem is to log your activities in CC, which automatically adjusts the math. Or, for an even simpler solution, just set your activity level to "very active" and see what it recommends.
In terms of your weight goal, 200 pounds is the top of the "normal" category for your height according to the BMI scale. Then again, with all that activity you probably have a lot of muscles!
Yeah Cosmographer...that is what I meant when I said the time during my exercise...I understand if I am working out two - four hours a day that during that time my body would burn calories without the workout...so my math was there with ya! I just estimated on the numbers because I am not that concerened at the moment about weight lose for any other reason besides performance.
I am at 9 percent body fat which isn't amazing, but for me it is pretty good! I don't believe in the BMI measurements. BMI classifies nearly all professional athletes at Obesity levels...while I am not a professional athlete, I am not too concerned about BMI levels.
I haven't fit in size 32 pants ever in my life until now, so that is cool enough for me lol...thanks for the imput though everyone...gives me a lot to think about!
HOW? PLEASE TELL ME HOW?! How do you do it? I mean ok I'm a 26 year old mother of two and I'm putting down 35 miles per week and I'd give anything to run 50.... but more than an hour on top of it?? What is your secret?
Not to be a highjacker, but I've noticed the same thing!
I work out about just as much as you do (less running, more swimming, same/more biking). - also for triathlons.
Calculators, such as nutritiondata say I need over 4000 some days. Those days I usually have 2500-2700.
Should I actually eat those 4000? I'm just going off of hunger signals on the 2500-2700.
(note to say that I'm not an avid counter, these are just estimates from what I've pulled in the past)
I am doing the same Tryatri as far as the hunger goes...but I have recently been tracking calories again and am well under the daily calories, I am tracking because I am helping a few people shed some pounds and was interested in seeing how the math plays out for me now...
I think some of it also has to do with the heart rate not going as fast as it use to as our cardiovascular systems are strengthened through exercise! I would say that most of what I am seeing says to go off of hunger but also be aware that not only does it take 3,500 excess calories to build a lb. of fat, but it also takes 3,500 calories to build a lb. of muscle!
bsh0611 do you want the short answer or the long?
Short: During the school year while teaching I wake up at 4 a.m. to run and then run again in the evening. During the summer I just put in one long run everyday of the week Mon-Sun. Some weeks I run 10 miles a day and other weeks I run less or more each day.
One thing that has really helped me and I don't suggest it to many people is...I have been running everyday. I started at the end of December and haven't stopped yet. When I began 3 miles was a good run, now that is just warming up! What I found for myself is that running everyday increased my endurance quicker then anything I have ever done!
I also have two children...I live my life according to my convictions.
1. Time with God. 2. Time with family. 3. Time exercising. I do not allow number 3 to interfere with 1 or 2...my days during the school year are scheduled so that all 3 have their proper and adequate time if that makes any sense...
Original Post by bemm0ns:
I am doing the same Tryatri as far as the hunger goes...but I have recently been tracking calories again and am well under the daily calories, I am tracking because I am helping a few people shed some pounds and was interested in seeing how the math plays out for me now...
I think some of it also has to do with the heart rate not going as fast as it use to as our cardiovascular systems are strengthened through exercise! I would say that most of what I am seeing says to go off of hunger but also be aware that not only does it take 3,500 excess calories to build a lb. of fat, but it also takes 3,500 calories to build a lb. of muscle!
Maybe it has to do with that... I don't know though! All I know is that I gladly eat a cookie and not worry about it!
BTW- what distance do you do for tri's?? Right now I'm only doing sprints (er, my parents only let me do springs). Once I turn 16 I'm allowed to do an Olympic, and I have to move out of the house before I attempt any longer distances (ultimate goal is an ironman)
Tryatri...
I have done everything from sprints to half ironman. I have only been doing these for just over two years...
Olympic tri's will teach you a ton, and the elements are close to the HI! Just keep training and things will happen over time.
I didn't get into tri's until I was in my 30's so you will be smoking by the time your my age!
bemm0ns, do you take a day off of running a week? I run 6 days out of the week, and now I'm feeling like I'm falling short! I have two kids, too, but I don't think running around after them counts as exercise
I am training for a half marathon, and I'm not going past a 10 mile marker for now because I don't want to burn out. I still have 2.5 months til the big day. I need to own a better elliptical...
BSH,
I don't take a day off...although all the experts say that you shouldn't I found that my body does better running each and every day. I just cut one of the days a bit shorter then the rest...actually during my typical weeks I run 2 - 3 long runs 10+ miles, 2-3 medium runs 5 - 10 miles, and 1 - 2 short runs being less than 5 miles!
You know your body best, so don't push it too hard! I have been constantly building my base. My goal is to get to the point when I can wake up any day and complete a marathon without even thinking about it...
Sounds like your doing GREAT...just keep it up!
This is my gaol also. But not to run a marathon, it's to run 5k without stopping. So far I can only do 2k without stopping. But I couldn't run 100 meters without stopping for 5 minutes 2 1/2 months ago so I think I'm going pretty good.
That is AWESOME epiphany!!! 2 years and 5 months ago, I also could barely run 100 meters without stopping!!! It gets easier. My first 5k I ran in just over 27 minutes...my times continued improving and I have now run some sub 20 minute 5k races.
Keep it up...soon you will have your eyes on a marathon also!
